House Amendment 1
H 4060 - Session 125 (2023-2024)
Education and workforce readiness

The Committee on Education and Public Works proposes the following amendment (LC-4060.WAB0001H):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 1, by striking Section 59-1-485 and inserting:

Section 59-1-485.Recognizing that a vibrant workforce is critical to sustaining and growing the economy of this State by servicing existing industry and attracting new industry, the State of South Carolina must endeavor to increase the number of South Carolinians who are ready and able to fill jobs demanded by a dynamic and evolving economy to promote a statewide culture of excellence in education. To achieve this purpose, the State of South Carolina establishes a minimum overall statewide workforce readiness goal of at least sixty percent of all working age South Carolinians having a postsecondary degree or recognized industry credentials before the year 2030 unless a higher goal is established in the comprehensive statewide education and workforce development plan. This goal is consistent with all students graduating and having the knowledge, skills, and characteristics contained in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. The General Assembly is encouraged to reexamine and revise this goal on an ongoing basis as needed. The Commission on Higher Education must establish strategic timelines and milestones in the Commission's Public Agenda to:

(1) increase the number of students who obtain degrees and credentials in the STEM disciplines; (2) advance training and careers in STEM fields; and

(3) expand the STEM-capable workforce.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 2.A., by striking Section 59-29-245(B)(2) and inserting:

(2) Based upon the policies and guidelines developed pursuant to subitem (b), the department shall produce online documents to help guidance counselors and administrators explain the benefits of the courses to students, parents, and guardians. The documents shall also be made available to the public.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 5, by striking Section 59-59-210(D) (1) and (2) and inserting:

(D) The Commission on Higher Education shall report annually to the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development regarding the committee's progress. (1) The purpose of this section is to provide seamless pathways to prepare students for the move from high school directly into public institutions of higher learning and independent institutions of higher learning by creating a uniform system of dual enrollment college courses offered to high school students by public two-year and four-year institutions of higher learning and participating independent institutions of higher learning beginning in the 2024-2025 School Year. Implementing agencies shall collect and share postsecondary and high school data to facilitate the purposes of this section. In terms of content and rigor, these dual enrollment college courses must be the equivalent of courses offered at public institutions of higher learning and independent institutions of higher learning to their students and must be taught by appropriately credentialed faculty.

(2)(a) Articulation agreements between school districts and public institutions of higher learning and independent institutions of higher learning to provide dual enrollment college courses offered to high school students must make such dual enrollment opportunities available to all students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve beginning with the 2024-2025 School Year; provided:

(i) for course sections in four-year institutions and two-year regional campuses of the University of South Carolina, a student must have at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 grading scale and the recommendation of the principal of his high school or the designee of his principal; and

(ii) for course selections in technical colleges, a student must meet the same requirements for particular courses as other students who attend the colleges and must have the recommendation of the principal of his high school, the designee of his principal, or the designee of the governing school association.

(b) The Lottery Tuition Assistance Program must be available to dual enrollment students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve who are enrolled in public two-year regional campuses and technical colleges.

(c) To effectuate the purposes established in this subsection, the Commission on Higher Education shall convene the Advisory Committee on Academic Programs before September 1, 2023, to develop a statewide secondary to postsecondary articulation agreement among all school districts and all public institutions of higher learning and participating independent institutions of higher learning. The advisory committee must consist of representatives from:

(i) the research institutions, four-year comprehensive teaching institutions, independent institutions of higher learning, two-year regional campuses, and technical colleges;

(ii) the State Department of Education; and

(iii) district curriculum coordinators, guidance personnel, and career and technical education directors.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 5, by striking Section 59-59-210(D)(3) and inserting:

(3) Before July 1, 2024, the Advisory Committee on Academic Programs shall make recommendations to the Commission on Higher Education regarding coursework that is acceptable statewide for dual enrollment to be accepted in transfer within a related course of study. The commission shall establish related requirements that two-year and four-year public institutions of higher learning and participating independent institutions of higher learning as defined by Section 59-113-50 must satisfy to offer dual enrollment coursework and award credit toward appropriate degrees and/or credentials for this coursework.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 5, by striking Section 59-59-210(D)(6) and inserting:

(6) Effective July 1, 2024, public institutions of higher learning, participating independent institutions of higher learning and public school districts may not enter individual articulation agreements. Such articulation agreements entered before July 1, 2024, are void, but coursework completed by students pursuant to those agreements must be considered acceptable for college credit.

(B)(1)The Commission on Higher Education shall work in consultation with the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education and the public institutions of higher learning to implement policies to guarantee students who have earned an associate of arts (AA) degree or an associate of science (AS) degree from a public two-year institution of higher learning shall receive a minimum of sixty transfer credit hours at a public four-year institution of higher learning and must be given junior academic standing at the institution.

(2) Graduates covered under this subsection are defined as students who have:

(a) earned an AA degree or an AS degree from one of the public two-year institutions of higher learning;

(b) earned a grade of "C" or better in each course applicable to the AA degree or AS degree; and

(c) expressed the intent to transfer to a public four-year institution of higher learning.

(3) A graduate of a public two-year institution of higher learning must be granted admission to the public four-year institution provided the graduate meets the admissions requirements of the four-year institution and, if applicable, specific programs, and may expect the following:

(a) students who have completed an AA degree or an AS degree will enter the public four-year institution with junior academic standing and will have satisfied the public four-year institution's general education requirements;

(b) all transfer courses that are accepted by the public four-year institution will be applied to the attainment of the baccalaureate degree as appropriate to the student's major;

(c) all transfer students shall meet specific admission requirements for their desired major and shall take seminar courses at the junior level or higher; and

(d) institutions may have institution-specific degree requirements that all students, including transfer, must complete.

(4) Each public four-year institution of higher learning shall facilitate a reverse transfer option for public two-year institution of higher learning students who enroll in their institution without completing an AA degree or an AS degree. Upon successful completion of coursework and hours at the public four-year institution, credits earned at the institution may be transferred back to the originating public two-year institution of higher learning and applied toward an associate degree. Course prerequisites and minimum credit requirements for awarding degrees must still apply.

(5) The provisions of this subsection must be implemented before April 30, 2024.

(C) For purposes of this section:

(a) "independent institution of higher learning" has the same meaning as found in Section 59-113-50 and applies only to such institutions in this State; and

(b) "public institution of higher learning" has the same meaning as found in Section 59-103-5(2) and applies only to such institutions in this State.

Amend the bill further, SECTION 6, by striking Section 41-1-140 and inserting:

Section 41-1-140.Beginning July 1, 2025, the Department of Employment and Workforce shall maintain and provide online access to information regarding the economic value of college majors. In addition to showing the economic value of each college major offered in this State, the department also shall compare bachelor's degree earned to job availability. The information must be available at no cost to the public. The availability of the information must be communicated to the State Department of Education and each public school district in the State. The department may expand its report to include associate degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees.